Sunday, July 31, 2011

Chupa Chups has a new Lolly on the market. These new lollipops come in two flavors Cola-Lemon and Mango-Apple but what’s new about these lollys is the "magic powder" added to the candy.

I tasted the Cola-Lemon flavored one. Granted I'm not a child and I know this product is geared toward kids so I did have a 3 and 6 year old taste them as well but first I will give you my opinion.

I have to say that although cola flavored lollys are not new, I had never tasted any cola flavored hard candy, somehow it never seemed like a flavor I would like but surprisingly I actually enjoyed this Cola-Lemon flavored lolly. Even though I do not like lemon in my cola drink I did like the cola-lemon combination of this candy. The tanginess of the lemon seemed to balance out the sweetness of the cola flavor, and yes I thought the lolly did have an "authentic" cola taste, which was another pleasant surprise for me.

My disappointment came when I realized the "magic powder" they promised was so insignificant and almost nonexistent. I tasted a very little bit of the "fizzy" powder toward the center of the lolly but it was such a drop that had I not known it was there I may have missed it. It's possible that the "magic powder" ended up getting so "mixed into" the candy as I ate it that it seemed unnoticeable to me but I think if Chupa Chups markets this lollipop to be a "Magic Powder Lolly" I would expect them to put way more powder in the candy and make it the focus of the lollipop, to the point where you can't miss it.

My friend who tasted both flavors said she personally preferred the mango-apple one but added that the cola one really kinda felt like a candy version of drinking soda.

But now let's get to the opinions of the "lolly experts", a 3 year old and a 6 year old, they both gave these Chupa Chups Magic Lollys a thumbs up!

The six year old wasn’t told anything about this lollys "magic" powder, later in the day, when she was asked if she liked the lolly she excitedly said "there was fizz in it but I couldn't see the fizz I only tasted it!" She described it as a "fun tingly sensation you feel while eating the lolly rather than finding the powder at the end"

Bottom Line: It seems to me that Chupa Chup knew what they were doing because their target consumer thoroughly enjoyed the "magic" they added to the lollies and both flavors seemed to be accurate and tasty.

Bag of 10 lollies – 7.99 NIS

Kosher Parve Badatz

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Friday, July 29, 2011

One of the main reasons I started this blog was because all the Israeli new-product reviews I found online or in the newspapers were in Hebrew. When I first made Aliyah, before Hebrew became second nature, I would have appreciated having a review in English. Then when I come across an item that is new here in Israel but is also popular in say the USA, like Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies Ice Cream, I'm not sure if I should just let you guys know it's available here and direct you to an American bloggers review or if I should go ahead and give you a full blown review of my own.

בן & ג'ריס -מילק & קוקיס

When it came to Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby I did write my own review but this time with their Milk & Cookies ice cream I found a few good reviews on line so I will tell you that On Second Scoop has a very detailed review of this ice cream that debuted in the USA over a year ago.

After tasting Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies ice cream for myself I thought that Dubba's review was very accurate and well written. I too really enjoyed the ice cream and loved the abundance of 2 chocolate chip cookie doughs, but I do have something to add.

I mentioned in my review of Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches that "cookies & cream" ice creams is one of my all time favorite flavors but I had an issue with the chocolate cookies swirl in this Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies Ice Cream. The swirl seemed to melt faster than the ice cream and wasn’t totally "mixed" into the ice cream so it ended up being somewhat grainy and crummy. Had the cookie swirl been more integrated into the ice cream the crumbs would not have bothered me, I most likely would have really enjoyed them, but since it was sort of melted on the side it ended up seeming somewhat grainy and chalky to me.

That having been said, all the other aspects of this Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies ice cream were so enjoyable that I can absolutely see myself buying it again, so long as it remains on the shelf here, because sadly, as far as I know, it’s a limited edition flavor. I truly hope that Ben & Jerry's Israel changes their mind on that and makes this Milk & Cookies Ice Cream a permanent flavor.

Bottom Line: Even thought July is coming to an end and with it "national ice cream month" I think if you enjoy a crummy cookies swirl and an abundance of chocolate chip cookie doughs in your ice cream Ben & Jerry's Milk & Cookies ice cream can and should be enjoyed any month of the year.

1 Pint Ice Cream 24.90 NIS

Kosher OU D מכיל אבקת חלב נוכרי

Update

If you would like a

printable

50%off coupon for this

Milk & Cookies Ice Cream

to be purchased at select stores

here in Israel

send me an email

and I will be happy

to send you the coupon

It's good until August 30, 2011

To be kept in the loop

whenever I find a printable coupon

of a product I reviewed

be sure to follow me

on twitter @Isreview1

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Not too long ago I reviewed Bagle Bagle's Whole-Wheat with a touch of Honey Crackersand now they have 2 new flavors on the market; one is a Mediterranean Flavored Cracker and the second is a Mexican Flavored Cracker.

I actually would have preferred to taste the Mediterranean Flavored Cracker but the supermarket I was in only had the 60 gram bags of the Mexican Flavored ones so I decided to try those. If/when I come across a small bag of the Mediterranean one I may possibly taste them too and add an update to this post. For now here's my review of the Mexican Flavored Crackers.

The first thing to hit me about these crackers was the spicy flavor they have. I would say they are not way too hot & spicy but they absolutely have a kick to them. If you don't enjoy spicy snacks this is not the cracker for you.

בייגל בייגל נשנושים בטעם מקסיקני

I also noticed a tomato aroma and flavor to these crackers. Low and behold I saw dehydrated tomatoes as one of the ingredients listed on the bag.

I'm not an expert on international flavors and don’t know exactly what a true Mexican flavor is, but I thought that in some ways it tasted like a spicy tortilla chip so with the added tomato flavor I do understand why they chose to call it "Mexican" flavored .

I think it's wonderful that many of the snacks in Bagle Bagle's Neshnushim line are baked, not fried, and have no cholesterol, these Mexican Flavored Crackers are no exception.

One thing I didn’t like about these crackers is that I found them to be a little too over baked and therefore somewhat dry. It's very possible that it was just the bag I got and most of them were not overdone. If you tried these crackers let me know if your bag was over baked or not.

Bottom Line: If they were not so dried out I think I would have really enjoyed these Mexican Flavored Crackers as a snack or with a mild soft cheese as part of a meal. The crackers have a lot of flavor and a nice spicy kick to them. The fact that they are baked and not fried is a big plus in my book.

60 gram bag – 4.29 NIS

Kosher Parve Badatz

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Nestea has 2 new flavors on the shelf this summer. One is a Diet Apple with Green Tea and the other is being called Exotic Flavor with Green Tea. Both of the new ice teas are made practically with green tea and therefore have the many antioxidant benefits that green tea is known for.

If and when I want a hot drink I usually chose jasmine flavored green tea. I actually much prefer the taste of green tea to any other hot tea I have ever had. So I was happy to see these ice teas with green tea on the supermarket shelf.

נסטי אקזוטי עם תה ירוק

I don’t particularly love the taste of apple in ice tea so I decided to try the "exotic" flavor, even though it sort of bothered me that they did not write which exotic fruits were used.

Even after I tasted the ice tea I still can't tell you what fruits were used to flavor this tea and "warrant" the name Exotic. I didn’t find it all that exotic but that may be a good thing because I often don’t enjoy thing that are too exotic.

Maybe it's just that I don’t have a well enough developed palate to pin point exactly what fruits they used to flavor this ice tea but to me it tasted very much like their popular peach flavored Nestea Ice Tea. I actually had one in my refrigerator so I did a little comparison. Yes there was a difference, mainly in the aftertaste but to me it wasn’t all that dramatic of a difference. The peach was a little bit of a more mild flavor and I thought it had a slightly less intense aftertaste. But I did not think the new Exotic Ice Tea with Green Tea "screamed" either green tea or exotic fruit flavor. It is possible that someone who doesn’t enjoy green tea may not agree with me and may really notice the green tea taste in this new ice tea.

The main issue I have with both the peach and this new exotic flavored ice tea is that they are way too sweet for me. I don’t know if the diet ones are less sweet but I would really like to taste these same Nestea Ice Teas with way less sugar. If Nestea really wants to join the "health trend" maybe flavored green teas with less/no sugar should be their next new item.

Nestea Exotic Flavored Ice Tea with Green Tea has no preservatives and no artificial food coloring.

Bottom Line: I didn’t think that Nestea's Exotic Ice Tea with Green Tea was all that exotic but it was enjoyable enough.If I had to choose between this Nestea with Green Tea Exotic Flavor and the Peach Flavored Nestea Ice Tea, I may choose the exotic flavored one simply because of the benefits I might get from the added green tea but on flavor alone I would rather the peach one.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Mentos, who recently gave us a line of Mentos Gums, have now added another flavor to their ever expanding line of Mentos Candies. Their new "summer flavor" is pineapple.

As soon as I opened the "roll" of candies I could clearly smell a strong pineapple aroma. Not surprisingly I thought it had more of an artificial pineapple smell than that of fresh pineapples, but what did I expect from a flavored candy? I popped one in my mouth and straight away my suspicions were confirmed, it tasted exactly the way I thought it would; "pineapple sweet" yet somewhat tangy and definitely a strong artificial "pineapply" flavor.

In almost every other way I thought it was like all the other fruit flavored Mentos candies. I did think this Pineapple Mentos candy was a little harder than most fresh Mentos candies. That seemed odd to me considering that it’s a brand new flavor. I thought it should be extremely fresh, so I'm not sure why it felt somewhat stale to me.

When I asked a friend of mine, who I know absolutely loves Mentos candies, what she thought of this new pineapple flavored Mentos she said that as a whole she too is not a big fan of pineapple flavored items. She only tasted it because it's Mentos, she can't help but taste every Mentos that comes on the market.

Her bottom line was that she didn't really enjoy this flavor and said the pineapple was a little "too exotic" for her taste. She added that it's OK if she doesn’t like them all because thankfully there are about 12 other Mentos flavors for her to choose from, so she never runs out of options. I asked if her pack seemed stale, she said no, they were fresh and chewy, so I guess it was just my pack that wasn't all that fresh for some reason.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy artificial pineapple flavor these Mentos Pineapple Candies might be right up your ally. Being that I don’t really like that flavor I'll skip it and stick to my favorite Mentos; mint!

Roll of 14 Mentos Candies 3 NIS

Kosher Parve Badatz

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

I can't help but wonder if they intentionally waited to "début" these potato chips to coincide with the start of the second season of the highly rated and extremely popular "Master Chef Israel" TV show staring Chef Eyal Shani, among others.

﻿

Master Chef Israel's Judges - including Chef Eyal Shani

Regardless this "Chef Series" line of potato chips did seem to get quite a bit of attention. I read a few on line reviews and even saw a segment on Channel 10's "לילה כלכלי" (Layla Calcaly) show where they did a taste test with random shoppers in a mall. I have to say most of the "reviews" were negative, which made me apprehensive about trying them, but something about Chef Eyal Shani's "quirkier" and unique personality intrigued me and I decided to try it anyway.

I'm not sure how much of Chef Eyal Shani's personality you can pick up from the commercial that's running on TV for these chips, but here it is for those of you that want a small "taste".

When I first opened the bag, I thought the chips had a nice shape and size. I liked that they were very crispy and crunchy, but after eating a few I actually tasted the mushrooms and I gotta say it was "kinda funky" and not in a good way. I really didn't enjoy the flavor, and the aftertaste it left was even worse. After one or two chips I had no interest in putting another Sour Cream & Wild Mushroom chip in my mouth.

Bottom Line: I agree with the other reviews I saw. These Sour Cream & Wild Mushroom Tapuchips were not at all enjoyable to me. Unless you like exceptionally unique & different flavors or have an extreme fondness for mushrooms, I would tell you to "skip this chip"!

Balsamic Vinegar & Onion Jam

These chips on the other hand were not awful. They too were crispy & crunch and had the same large size and wavy shape that the Sour Cream & Wild Mushroom chips had.

As soon as I opened the bag I was hit with a whiff of balsamic vinegar which I'd say was the dominant flavor as a whole. I didn’t really taste the onion per say but, the chips did have a bit of a spicy kick to them; I'm just not convinced it came from onions.

תפוציפס סדרת השף אייל שני

Bottom Line: Although these Balsamic Vinegar & Onion Jam Tapuchips are far from the best potato chip I have ever tasted, and personally I don’t think I'll ever buy them again, I have to say that they weren't "all that bad". I expected them to be horrible and they weren't. It's very likely that people who enjoy Salt & Vinegar chips would like these Balsamic Vinegar & Onion Jam chips as a change of flavor from time to time.

60 gram bag - 4.49NIS

Kosher Parve Rabbinate Netevot

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

As I mentioned in my review of Kinley's Pear-Apple Soft-Drink I have never been a huge fan of carbonated drinks so although I do like "lemon tangy" flavored things I wasn't going to review Fanta's new, limited edition, Lemonade Soda. Then my friend came over to watch a game, the other night, and he bought a bottle of this soda with him so we all had a chance to taste it.

I wasn’t so surprised that I didn’t love it; the truth is I didn’t hate it either. I thought it tasted sort of similar to the orange flavored Fanta. I wonder though, had I not seen the label and known it was Fanta would I still have thought it tasted like Orange Fanta, very possibly not. I should mention that I did taste the lemon flavor, in this Lemonade Fanta, to some degree, but it was far from the tanginess I like in lemonade.

My friend who bought the bottle and really likes Orange Fanta didn't agree with me, he said it was very different to the Orange Fanta. He really didn't like this Lemonade Fanta at all. He said the Orange Fanta soda is sweeter and not as tangy. He decided that he will continue buying Orange Fanta soda and skip this Lemonade Fanta. (I have to add that I think this Lemonade Fanta is very sweet too but he's right in that it's somewhat tangier than the orange.)

Most of the others who came to watch the game didn't really care one way or the other about this Lemonade Fanta Soda. They didn’t love it or hate it and would rather drink beer or coke and not really touch the Lemonade Fanta at all.

As with the Orange Fanta this Lemonade Fanta is available in a small ball shaped bottle that Fanta is calling a "FBALL". It may be a cute gimmick but it seems sort of ridiculous that they're charging 5-7 NIS for this 250ml "FBALL". From the photos I think it looks like it would be kind of difficult to hold and drink from it but maybe you're not meant to drink it but rather throw it around and watch it "explode" once you open it, I don’t know, but I can imagine that’s what many kids or teens might end up doing with the "FBALL".

The Fanta Lemonade Soda has no preservatives and is made with all natural food colorings.

Bottom Line: This Lemonade Fanta Soda is being marketed as a "summer edition" it will be interesting to see if it stays on the self once autumn rolls around. I for one don't see myself ever buying it but if you enjoy sweet and very slightly tangy lemonade soda this might be the right choice for you.

1.5 liter bottle 6.99 NIS

Kosher Parve Landau

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I've been very critical of Elite wafers in the past but, considering how much I love dark chocolate I couldn't resist trying the new Elite 60% Cocoa Solids Dark Chocolate Coated Wafer Finger. I half expected to hate them but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed them.

עלית אצבעות ופל בציפוי שוקולד מריר 60%

I think the main reason I liked them was because the chocolate coating tasted very much like Elite's "Parah" 60% cocoa solids chocolate bar. Although thats far from the best quality chocolate bar on the market I think it's one of the less expensive yet fairly decent bittersweet chocolate bars sold here ,so I've grown to like it and enjoy the strong bittersweet chocolaty taste it has. The chocolate coating on these new wafers have that same bittersweet cocoa taste.

I didn’t love the layer of chopped hazelnuts between the coating and the wafer but I'm sure many people will enjoy the extra flavor and texture it adds.

The wafer itself was perfectly fine. I never have a major issue with the wafer part of Elite's wafers; it's usually the filling that I find to be too grainy and chalky.

I recently heard someone on the radio mention that he went on a tour of the Elite wafer factory with his child. They watched as they made chocolate filled wafer. He said the filling of most Elite wafers is made of the "unusable" thin wafer part ground up and mixed into the cocoa powder mixture to make a chocolate flavor filling. I don’t know if all wafer companies do the same thing but since I heard that, I've been wondering if maybe that’s why I feel the filling of regular Elite wafers are too grainy and I don’t really enjoy them.

Seeing as this seems to be a "fancier" wafer finger and not their "run of the mill" line, I don’t think they did that with this wafer. The filling didn't seem grainy or chalky to me. Instead I thought these wafers had a rich, chocolaty and creamy filling. The package says the wafers are filled with a truffle and nut filling. I think that makes a huge difference for me and I was really happy it didn’t taste grainy at all.

Bottom Line: I think this Elite 60% Cocoa Solids Chocolate Coated Wafer Finger lives up to what Elite "promised" it to be. I did enjoy the wafer, the coating and the filling. I should mention that Loacker has a similar finger on the market, theirs seems to be a little bit of a better quality wafer all around.That having been said, I still think this Elite wafer finger would be a nice, rich treat to enjoy with a hot drink at the end of a meal, from time to time. I just wish it was nondairy, but for some reason many bittersweet chocolate items do have milk in them as well.

120 gram box of Wafers – 11.99 NIS

Kosher Dairy Rabbinate Nazareth-Illit

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Elite's Alma brand of gum was one of their first gums sold in Israel in the 1950's and 60's. It stayed on the shelves until Orbit gum became popular here in the 1990's. The Israeli public was becoming more health conscious and preferred sugar free gums and the Alma gums were not sugar free so Elite slowly stopped making them.

In 2007 as a wave of retro nostalgia filled the country Elite decided to reintroduce Alma gum, under their Must brand, in honor of Yom Ha'atzmaut. This time it was sugar free and "Chiclets" shaped as opposed to sticks of gum but the logo was the same and that seemed to do the trick for some.

Now Elite decided to add a few more flavors to this "renewed" Alma line. These 3 new gums are geared toward women. To me, the envelope packaging does seem to have a retro feminine design so I guess they succeeded on that note. The 3 flavors in this new line are Mint, Lemon and Cinnamon. All of them are sugar free and there 12 sticks per package.

מסטיק עלמה עלית

Lemon Flavor

As I opened the package and read the greeting printed inside the top flap "may you have a refreshing day" I was struck by the strong lemon flavor. I should mention the cinnamon gum had the same greeting printed inside and smelled like cinnamon gum but the flavor didn't "pop out" at me as soon as I opened the envelope like the lemon flavor did.

For the first 2 minutes or so of chewing the gum the lemon flavor was very strong. But quite quickly the lemon diminished and it was just a sweet chewing gum with a slight touch of lemon from time to time. I actually thought it was a little too sweet and would have preferred it to have a tangier lemon flavor and not be so sweet

This gum is not very conducive to blowing bubbles like the Hubba Bubba gum is but that’s ok considering this Alma gum is a chewing gum and not a bubble gum.

Bottom line: This lemon flavored Alma Gum is not tangy or sour enough for me, aside from which, I thought it was too sweet for me. So although it was not a bad gum per say, I don’t think it will be a gum I will buy again.

Cinnamon Flavor

I have always liked cinnamon flavor gum. It's my second favorite flavor after mint gums. I guess I'm not the only one because this cinnamon flavor was suggested to Strauss Elite via the "My Strauss" website that I told you about in my review of the White Chocolate Covered Kif Kef Bar. I suppose enough people "liked" the suggestion and Elite decided to go with it.

The fact is years ago Elite Must did have a cinnamon gum, on the market, that I enjoyed and I was disappointed when they discontinued it. I was hoping the new Cinnamon Alma gum would be similar to that and I was excited to try it.

This Alma Cinnamon gum is a sweet and "cinnamon" spicy gum at the same time. I would have to say to me it seemed sweeter than other cinnamon gums and I think it's sweeter than the Must one I was remembering but it's clearly a cinnamon flavored gum.

Bottom Line: The cinnamon flavor did last long enough in my opinion but, like with the lemon gum, the overall sweetness was a little too much for me. I personally would have preferred it to be a bit more "hot & spicy". I don’t know how popular hot cinnamon gum is so I'm guessing they were trying to make a flavor that would "appeal to the masses". I may pick it up from time to time but I highly doubt it will become a "go to" gum for me.

Update: You can use this 1+1 coupon to buy any of these new Alma gums at Superpharm. It's good from now until Feb. 19, 2012 or as long as supply lasts.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

I was really happy to read that Nestlé Ice Cream started importing the "famous" Skinny Cow Ice Creams to Isreal. I had heard for years from friends back in the US how much they love the taste of this ice cream and the fact that Skinny Cow Ice Creams can be enjoyed without guilt; considering it has a fraction of the calories that most ice creams have. Now that they are also available here I was excited to try it too.

The Cookies & Cream Sandwich was the natural choice for me, seeing as ice cream sandwiches have always been a favorite of mine and cookies & cream ice cream is one of my "go to" flavors, so that’s the one I chose to try.

The photo on the package is ever so slightly deceiving. I sort of expected a wider sandwich filled with more ice cream than it actually had but, in fact that is where my disappointment ended, and on second thought, for a 66 gram sandwich this Skinny Cow Ice Cream was a nice and indulgent size treat.

The round and "decorative" chocolate cookie/biscuit part of the sandwich was chocolaty, soft and chewable. To me it tasted exactly like many full calorie ice cream sandwich cookies tastes and I really enjoyed it.

The ice cream inside was soft and creamy. Had I not known it was reduced fat I never would have guessed! The vanilla ice cream was jam packed with the tiny cookie crumbs, just as cookies & cream ice cream should be.

Bottom Line: In my opinion, everything about this Skinny Cow Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Sandwich was indulgent and enjoyable. What started as an experiment back in 1994 by two entrepreneurs in New Jersey will now become a permanent fixture in my freezer here in Israel. Thank you guys! I will absolutely be trying the other flavors but I have a feeling the Cookies & Cream Sandwich will remain my favorite.

Box of 6 Ice Cream Sandwiches 26.99 NIS

Kosher Dairy Badatz

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

About Me

I love trying new things. Seeing as most of the reviews I find for products, here in Israel, are written in Hebrew I decided to start a blog reviewing anything & everything new I try. My goal is to have fun trying new stuff at the same time as I help others decide what to try & what to skip:)
Daniela